2013 Volcom Pipe Pro: Day 2 Highlights

2013 Volcom Pipe Pro: Day 2 Highlights

Early on, the theme on day 2 of the Volcom Pipe Pro was kill or be killed. And for the majority of the day, Pipeline was winning the war. The carnage kicked off in the first heat of the day when Brazil’s Simão Romão was rag-dolled and beaten all the way down to Ehukai Beach Park before surfacing. Rattled after nearly passing out underwater, he finally made it to the beach where he was immediately put in a neck brace by lifeguards. It turned out to be a precautionary measure as he was okay, but his poor wife watching the webcast from Brazil was freaking out and had no idea what had happened to him.

In the same heat, Nathan Florence, riding his brother John’s 6’6” was able to negotiate the treacherous conditions and had the beach roaring after one of the few successful rides of the morning. Others would be so fortunate.

Two of the most spectacular wipeouts were executed (perhaps not the proper term) by Californians Dane Gudauskas and Dillon Perillo. Dane, riding a 6’6” in the monstrous conditions, had a look at a first reef double up and ejected at the last second. “I thought I had it but at the last second just wasn’t able to get into it,” he said later from the safe confines of the beach. What he meant was he wasn’t able to get to his feet. The ensuing freefall looked like he jumped off the fifth floor of the Turtle Bay. “Ha!” he laughed. “Hope it was entertaining!”

Perillo’s series of poundings were just as spectacular. After making a late drop on a left but losing all his speed at the bottom, the Malibu surfer did a 360-degree backspin that looked deadly, but somehow he was spared. “I was underwater and knew there was another wave coming so I was trying to get back to the surface before it broke on my head,” he said. “It probably looked pretty funny, me break dancing in the barrel,” he quipped.

And while the morning was all about beat downs and broken boards, just after lunch, a slight drop in the swell and a shift in the wind created one of the best days of the winter at Pipe.

And who best to show the world how it’s done out there than John John Florence. Moments after paddling out, John John stroked into a massive second reef wave that spit him into the channel to a chorus of cheers. He earned a high nine for that wave, then followed it up with three more nine-point rides. The amassed crew was baffled. “He’s just a magician out there,” said Dane Gudauskas. “That was a gangster ass no-grab,” he added.

And Dane wasn’t the only one impressed. “He’s just doing this to rub it in my face because he’s my neighbor,” said Kelly Slater who didn’t enter the Volcom Pipe Pro. “I would have paid double the entry fee to be out there right now,” added the 11-time World Champion.

Other standouts today included former Pipe Master Bruce Irons, 2013 ASP World Tour rookie Nat Young (who earned $1000 from Electric for his efforts), Reef McIntosh, Josh Kerr, Chris Ward, and Japanese hellman Masatoshi Ohno. The contest figures to crown a champion tomorrow (Friday) in what’s predicted to be perfect 6-8 foot Pipe and Backdoor barrels.—JC

Day 2 perfection at the 2013 Volcom Pipe Pro. Photo: Bielmann/SPL

ASP Press Release: FLORENCE DELIVERS PERFORMANCE OF THE WINTER

North Shore, Oahu, HAWAII (Feb. 1, 2013)
All eyes were on Pipeline’s favorite son John John Florence at the Volcom Pipe Pro today, as a perfect pairing of phenomenal waves and supernatural talent unfolded before a highly charged beach crowd. It fast became a 25-minute Florence super session as he clocked up four incredible tube rides in succession: 9.3, 9.53, 9.73, and 9.97. His top two scores delivered the highest heat total of the competition so far – 19.7 points out of 20. But the only Electric Perfect 10 of the day went to Santa Cruz’s Nat Young, in his competitive debut at the Banzai Pipeline. Wave face heights were consistently around 15- to 20-feet today, and there were more than a day’s worth of horrific wipeouts.

In his first competitive appearance of the 2013 ASP season, this is just the beginning of a long year already loaded with expectation for Florence. Having come so close to a world title in 2012, he is prepared for the pressure but focused on surfing. If today was any indication, it will be a devastating year for his peers. Florence, 20, is the top seed and defending champion of this event.

Asked if he felt like any of his barrels today should have been a 10, he replied with a laugh: “That’s a hard one to say when you’re the one riding the wave, but they all felt pretty cool. I think there’s probably some better waves out there.” Better waves perhaps, but not better surfing. From his dominant positioning and late take-offs, to his knife-edged bottom turns and foam-ball barrels, it was a saltwater soliloquy that left the other three surfers in the heat adrift. “That was a really fun surf session,” Florence said, all smiles on the beach. “Just being there and having no-one out, it firing like this with wave after wave after wave…. it’s a pretty special feeling. I think this is one of the better days of Pipe all (winter). It was really hard to come in.”

When asked which of his nines was more memorable: “The wave where I took off out the back was more of a scary one. I kind of felt like I fumbled a couple of times at the bottom and I thought I was going to get my head taken off by the lip. It was kind of a dramatic ride for me (laughs). “Any opportunity to surf out here is just a good thing. If I wasn’t in the contest and was sitting at home watching this happen with four guys out, I’d be freaking out.”

Earlier on, six seconds was all it took for Nat Young to concoct the only $1,000 “Electric Perfect 10″ of the day – a rare double tube ride on his first wave of his first ever Pipe competition. No stranger to the danger or the drama this place is famous for, his performance was polished and he looked in control. “That was the best wave I’ve ever had out there,” said Young, 21. “The wave itself was just amazing. This is the first time I’ve ever done a comp here so for me it’s just practice. That’s why I came, to get comfortable out here. I’ve surfed here a lot, I’ve been coming here every winter since I was 14, but I’m definitely intimidated out there. I was definitely nervous before my heat. To say I wasn’t intimidated would be a lie.

“It just looked like a really good wave. I wasn’t paddling in thinking it was going to be a 10. To get that opportunity right at the beginning was pretty nice. It was amazing. I kicked out and I was smiling. I could hear the beach (roar) after I came out, everyone cheering. It was nice.”

Other standouts today included Reef McIntosh (HI); Chris Ward (Ca., USA); Josh Kerr (AUS); and Japan’s Masatoshi Ohno 15.17. Organizers will assess the surf at first light tomorrow for a possible final day of competition. Surfline.com forecasts a gradual drop in wave height with good, clean conditions.

Watch the Volcom Pipe Pro LIVE at www.volcompipepro.com/
Volcom is partnering with ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, to bring the Volcom Pipe Pro and competitive surfing to a whole new audience. In addition to the traditional live broadcast, ESPN will be streaming the contest live in HD on ESPN3.com. This partnership will mark the first time that ESPN has streamed a live ASP surfing event.

In line with Volcom’s New Future commitment, the event will again run according to the green guidelines that SustainableSurf.org and ASP North America have partnered on to help reduce the environmental impact of all contests. This will be Volcom’s second deep blue surfing event™ and in line with the guidelines, waste, energy, community support, climate change and transportation will be target categories for sustainability initiatives.